Tag Archives: shoes

With the 1970’s came Disco, and the flashy styles in sequins, leather and polyester. And when getting ready for a night of disco dancing, no outfit would be complete without a pair of platform shoes. The pair of pumps from the collection, shown here, have a high, chunky heel, and a decorative buckle in the Mary Jane style. They were handmade in Italy by “Salvanna di Torino,” bearing its logo on the insole.

The Mary Jane’s namesake comes from the comic strip character of this name in “Buster Brown,” first published in 1902. The classic Mary Jane style has a low (or no) heel, a wide toe, a strap across the instep, and is usually associated with children and girls dress clothing. Although, variations of this style are popular in modern women’s fashion, as shown below in this example from Prada’s 2012 collection.

These rhinestone-studded pumps were designed by Stanley Phillipson, and “Made Especially for Margaret.” Margaret’s, owned by Margaret Talkington, was the clothing store for the fashionable woman of Lubbock from 1946-1994.

Algerian born designer Yves Saint Laurent, (August 1st 1936- June 1st 2008), transformed the direction of women’s fashion in the 20th century. Laurent’s career began at the age of 17 for the fashion house of Christian Dior following his success in an international design competition. Four years later, Laurent found himself the Haute Couture designer for the label at the unexpected death of Dior. In 1960, following a traumatic military stint, Laurent founded his line of clothing, shoes and accessories with longtime partner Pierre Berge. The satin low-heel pumps in the Texas Tech collection are from his later creations in the 1970s, reflective of the styles from the 1930s and 1940s.

Yves Saint Laurent, Getty Images.

Berge and Laurent quickly gained fame for crafting couture-inspired ready-to-wear women’s clothing. Most famous of his designs is Le Smoking Tuxedo Suit, a female pantsuit aimed at questioning the boundaries of gender fashions. Androgynous influences such as exaggerated shoulders and undefined waistlines characteristically defined many of Laurent’s creations.

Yves Saint Laurent further revolutionized late century fashion by employing the first ethnically diverse models on the runway. Bold colors, geometric shapes and masculine silhouettes additionally reflected his ethnic inspiration.

These heavily white beaded and multicolored silk embroidered pumps are from the 1960s, designed by Harilela’s Shoes. We have tried to find more information about the makers of these shoes, but have been unsuccessful. Do you know anything about the designer?

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Welcome to the Museum of Texas Tech's Ethnology and Textiles Blog. The Museum of Texas Tech is located in Lubbock, Texas, and is home to over a million objects in the entire museum. Being an integral component of Texas Tech University, the Museum is dedicated to the collection and preservation of objects and associated information for the university community and the general public.

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